The Reception
by phoenix713
Summary: Bill and Fleur's wedding reception is the last respite the trio has from reality before they must face Voldemort.  During this evening anything can happen...but what will? RHr HG
1. Shall we dance?

Hermione Granger gulped down yet another goblet of ice-cold lemonade as she watched the couples on the dance floor in front of her. Absorbed in the sight, she failed to notice a certain tall, red-headed boy determinedly making his way to the table where she sat. Ron Weasley's face was set; his mouth a grim line, as though he was approaching a battlefield, not a table at his brother's wedding reception.

As he neared Hermione he noticed her glazed over appearance, realizing she was lost in reverie, he took the chance to observe his usually guarded and composed friend. There was a slight crinkle to her brow, as though she was deep in thought. _As always_, Ron grimaced. It wasn't that he envied her intelligence, but sometimes it was difficult to be in the constant presence of someone who at least thought she knew all of the answers.

He surveyed her again, although she was not a great beauty she was by no means ugly, she was just…well, just Hermione.

_Or is she still just Hermione?_ the often unbidden voice in the back of his head asked.

_Shut it you_, he told it, he did not need it to interfere now, as he was about to embark on a very large leap of faith.

_Well if she's just Hermione, it should hardly be difficult, should it?_ the persistent voice forced its point.

Firmly ignoring it, Ron shook his head to clear his mind, accidentally letting out a small throat-clearing noise as he did so. Rudely awakened from her mental vacation, Hermione whipped around to face Ron, attempting to discern the cause of the interruption.

Again, Ron awkwardly cleared his throat, hoping that by so doing the question would come out without him actually having to speak it. Hermione regarded him curiously.

_This is pathetic_, Ron told himself, and steeling his resolve, he asked the question he had spent the whole evening working up to.

"Hermione, wo-would you like to dance?" cursing his stutter, he anxiously stared at her, waiting for her response.

Hermione smiled and rose from her chair as Ginny winked at her from across the room.


	2. Girls just wanna have fun

Noticing how red Ron's ears were, Ginny allowed herself to grin at this new development in Ron and Hermione's relationship.

_Honestly it's about bloody time…_ she thought to herself allowing the thought to trail off as she spotted a certain messy-haired, green eyed boy walking in her direction. As Harry passed Ginny her breath caught in her throat.

_But, why didn't he acknowledge me? _Ginny thought to herself, then cursed herself for caring, although her inner voice persisted. _It's not as though we parted on bad terms…why give me the cold shoulder?_

Firmly shaking her head, Ginny attempted to dislodge Harry's perpetual presence in her mind. To occupy herself, she surveyed the pristine ballroom that currently hosted the reception. The far corner featured the DJ who was currently playing a ubiquitous Celestina Warbeck song that made Ginny cringe. Glancing around she noted her mother's delight, a stark contrast to the thinly veiled looks of disgust on the faces of most of the guest. The sickly-sweet music did not seem to be bothering the honorees of the event, however, Ginny noticed as she located Billy and Fleur on the dance floor, swaying happily oblivious to everyone around them.

Another equally oblivious couple danced next to them, and as Ginny realized who it was, her heart leapt. Ron and Hermione were glued together, and did not seem to want to separate any time soon.

_It's about time he did something right_, Ginny thought, _he's fancied the pants off her for ages, thank goodness he finally made a move._

_If only you could get Harry to do the same thing_, a malicious voice in the back of Ginny's head reminded her. Impulsively, Ginny swung around in her seat, attempting to locate Harry amidst the crowd of Fleur and Bill's well-wishers. There! She spotted him chatting with Fleur's younger sister, whom she remembered he had saved during the Triwizard Tournament. Involuntarily her stomach flipped as she felt something akin to jealousy rose within her.

"Ginny," Hermione tapped her friend on the shoulder, "are you alright?"

"Wha-oh, yeah, fine Hermione," Ginny replied, as she was jerked suddenly out of her contemplation of Harry. She quickly pasted on a fake smile that quickly turned into a real one as she noticed that Hermione's fingers were interlaced with Ron's.

"Ron, could you go get Ginny and me some pumpkin juice, please?" Hermione turned and asked Ron, seemingly ignoring Ginny's answer.

"Umm…ok," Ron said, clearly puzzled as he regretfully dropped Hermione's hand and strode away.

"You're not fi--" Hermione began, but she was quickly cut off by Ginny's shrieking, "YOU AND RON, DETAILS!"

"Shh…do you want everyone to hear you?" Hermione hissed. "…yes Ron and I," she blushed a deep red, "but that's not the point, why do you look like someone just cursed you to barf slugs."

Ginny momentarily grinned, remembering that particularly hex Malfoy had hit Ron with. "Well, I just don't know where I stand with Harry, if he still likes me…I think he just ignored me tonight, and I don't know what to do."

Hermione sighed, "Ginny, tonight don't worry about Harry, tonight just have fun."

Ginny smiled, and to Hermione's surprise she did not protest. "Okay," she grinned, "I think I will."


	3. Have a good time, if it kills you

**AN**: Thanks so much to my two lovely reviewers, **Folk Ballad** (my first reviewer!) and **Balsam**, and to everyone who has read my story so far. Please continue to R&R as it makes me very happy.

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Hermione and Ginny's conversation was cut short due to the return of Ron, who carried three goblets of pumpkin juice. The three gulped down their juice as an awkward silence pervaded, preventing anyone from attempting to begin a conversation, as the only thing any of them could think of was the status of Ron and Hermione's relationship.

"So…erm…we're going to go…dance…some more…." Ron broke the silence, his sentence trailing off as he looked to Hermione for her consent.

"Er…right," Hermione agreed, casting Ginny a questioning look as Ron started to walk toward the dance floor.

"Go," Ginny mouthed to her. Hermione grinned at this and hurried to catch up with Ron, sliding her hand into his when she reached him. He took it readily, and led her out onto the dance floor as another slow song started.

_Well now that they're occupied_… Ginny thought to herself,_ I'm not going to sit around all night, moping, just because Harry didn't acknowledge me. I'm going to have fun._ She surveyed the crowd, trying to find a suitable replacement dance partner, sadly few of the young men she saw measured up to her exacting standards.

_That one's not too bad…_she though to herself, surveying a boy standing by the punch bowl. He was a few inches taller than she, had sandy-blonde hair, and looked reasonably fit, even though Ginny could only see his profile. She stole a glance at Harry, who, to her consternation, was still talking to Fleur's sister. That settles it she thought, as she squared her shoulders and marched over to talk to he her future dance-partner. _And I know precisely how to introduce myself_, she thought, smirking.

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Jacques Delacour flinched as he felt cold punch cascade down the front of his tuxedo shirt. His brow furrowed, he looked up to catch the culprit, only to see a petite, pretty girl whose blush was currently even redder than her brilliantly red hair.

"I'm so sorry," the girl apologized. She grabbed a handful of napkins and began to blot the stain, when after several seconds she stopped abruptly. "Oh, right," she said, blushing again as she whipped out her wand and performed a neat little cleaning spell that left his shirt spotless. "Ginny Weasley, sister of the groom" she said breathlessly, extending her hand, "sorry, I'm a little clumsy.

"Jacques Delacour," he replied grinning, shaking her hand, "brother of the bride, and no harm done."

"Good," Ginny grinned.

"So, would you like to, erm…" Jacques gestured toward the dance floor as another song started.

"Love to," Ginny said, preempting his question. As he led her onto the dance floor Ginny refused to let herself look at Harry, instead she focused on the boy she was about to dance with. _Good choice, Gin_, she commended herself, as she wrapped her arms around Jacques' neck.

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Next time...Harry's reaction…:) get excited.


	4. Agony! Misery!

Harry grinned, slightly stupidly, as Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle sashayed away from him, her pale gold dress swishing as she walked. Catching himself staring, he shook his head; _snap out of it_, he admonished himself, and forced his gaze to focus on the dance floor.

There, he found a not-so-welcome distraction. As his eyes unconsciously sought Ginny out, his stomach lurched when he located her. The long dormant beast in his chest erupted; it longed to tear the boy that Ginny was dancing with limb from limb.

Unconsciously, Harry took a lurching step toward the dance floor, only checking himself when he began to receive strange looks from the surrounding onlookers. _What_ _does she think she's __**doing**_ Harry thought angrily, stealing another glance at the still dancing couple, _and the more important question what am I going to do about it?_

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Ginny was very pleased. She was dancing with a rather cute boy, and the effect was even better. She had been observing Harry over Jacques' shoulder as he chatted to her about "zis and zat." _He'd_ _be quite a good boyfriend if it wasn't for…_ Ginny let her thoughts trail off as her gaze, once again focused upon Harry. Lost in thought, she made eye contact with him, and was startled when he raised one eyebrow at her and motioned to her to come over to talk to him. Ginny looked away and tried to focus on what Jacques was saying, but when the song ended she heard herself make her apologies to Jacques and walk over to get to the bottom of whatever was going on in Harry's head.

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_Finally_, Harry expelled a breath he did not know he had been holding as Ginny Weasley approached him, her brown furrowed in a questioning look.

"What is going on?" Ginny cut straight to the chase, quite similar to the way that her mother interrogated Ginny and her brothers.

"What are you talking about, Gin?" Harry asked, attempting an innocent tack.

"You completely ignored me earlier, that's what's going on!" Ginny spat, it was obvious that she had been brooding over this slight all night.

"I just…thoughtitwouldbeawkward," Harry muttered, thinking that, if he said it quickly, it would make the whole situation less awkward.

"Oh," Ginny said, "we can't just avoid each other, I mean it's not practical, as you're best mate is my brother, and well, I just don't want to avoid you."

"I don't want to avoid you either, but we can't go back to…" Harry let his sentence trail off, knowing that Ginny was thinking of the same thing he was.

"Why not?"


	5. Surrender

AN: Sorry guys, been busy….

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Fortunately, Harry was saved from responding to Ginny's unanswerable question by Hermione, who careened into him with much more force than Harry would have thought possible.

"Sorry—" Hermione panted, red in the face with embarrassment and exhaustion, "Ron was spinning me…he got out of control," she grinned. By now Ron had joined them, hastily apologizing for his excessive zest.

"Sorry Harry, got a bit…er…carried away there," Ron explained, "I'll just go get us all drinks, shall I?" The other three nodded their assent, and Ron disappeared into the crowd to fetch drinks for the second time that night. As they waited, an awkward silence pervaded the group, but it did not last long, as Jacques Delacour swooped down on Ginny as soon as he located her.

"Ginny, would yoo like to dancze?" Jacques asked innocently, unaware of the look Harry was shooting him over Ginny's head.

"Erm, ok," Ginny accepted awkwardly with a pained look upon her face; obviously worried about Harry's reaction. Oblivious, Jacques whisked Ginny onto the dance-floor. Jacques, who minutes previously had captured Ginny's attention, was currently wearing on Ginny's nerves. She kept looking at Harry, testing him for a reaction, but Hermione had currently monopolized his attention, which caused Ginny to grin. _She's definitely interrogating him about us_, Ginny thought, which gave her a surprising amount of pleasure.

"Ginny," Jacques' voice brought her back to the moment, "are yoo feeling alright?"

"Actually, I'm not feeling to well, if you'll excuse me," Ginny broke away from Jacques, heading vaguely toward the bathrooms, but she doubled back around to talk to Harry as soon as she was sure Jacques could not see her.

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Harry watched as a blonde boy, who was probably related to Fleur, led Ginny to the dance floor. The beast in his chest erupted in protest again. Apparently his internal struggle showed in his face, as Hermione began her ritual interrogation.

"Harry, you've got to figure out what's going on between you and Ginny, it's not fair to her, the way you're toying with her emotions. Just look at her!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry turned and caught Ginny staring straight at him, she blushed and attempted to redirect her gaze, but Harry got the message, neveretheless.

"Alright, Hermione, what should I do?" Harry resigned himself.

Hermione grinned, _Finally_, she thought.

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CLIFFHANGER! Well not really, but anyway, sorry about the delay, I've been working A LOT. I'll probably have another (longer) chapter or two before I go away for two weeks. Hope you're enjoying it!


	6. We deserve each other

**A.N.: **Well, good news for you guys, my trip fell through, so regular updates will be forthcoming. Please keep reviewing!

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Unfortunately for Hermione, she never got the chance to tell Harry exactly how he should handle his and Ginny's relationship, (or lack thereof) for as soon as she opened her mouth to advise him, Ginny hurried up to the pair looking determined.

"Harry, could I have a word," asked Ginny glancing around as she spoke, as though she was worried about being seen. "Sorry, Hermione," she added as an afterthought. Harry shot Hermione a puzzled look over his shoulder as he Ginny led him into the hall, where they could talk without being interrupted or overheard. As he wheeled around to face her, Harry dropped all pretence of confusion, he knew that Ginny wanted an answer, but he had no idea what he was going to say, since he didn't know the answer himself.

While Harry was pondering what he could possibly say, Ginny's heart raced, her blood pounded in her ears, _this is it_ Ginny thought to herself. When Harry had first broken up with her she had thought she understood his reasoning, but as time marched along there separation seemed more and more unreasonable to Ginny. It was not that she needed a boyfriend to be happy, it was that she knew that Harry was the boy she wanted and that she wanted to be with him.

_Consequences be damned_, Ginny thought, the danger did not matter to her, _if my choices are relative safety without Harry or danger with him, I'll take the danger, in this world how safe can I be anyway?_ With this last fortifying thought Ginny resolved to break the barrier of silence between them.

"Look Harry, I know how dangerous your life is about to become, and I'm not scared of it, I'd rather be with you in danger than alone outside it. During the war I'm not going to be safe anywhere anyway, I'm going to fight Voldemort either way!"

Harry sighed, a pained look spread across his face, "I know you are, Gin, I don't reckon I could stop you if I tried. I can't put you in any more danger though; if you're next…I don't know if I could live with myself."

"I know, but this is my choice, and if I'm going to fight I'd rather be fighting next to you," Ginny explained passionately, trying to make Harry understand as she fought the tears that were welling in her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheeks. Harry looked dumbstruck; Ginny had answered his question for him. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around her, they stood like that for several moments, each rhapsodizing in the comfort the other provided.

Harry inched backwards, and Ginny regrettable let her hold on him go. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak; it seemed that he had finally found the words for which he had been so desperately searching. "Ginny, you're right," seemed to be all that he could manage as he attempted to grin at her weakly, "as usual."

Ginny's face broke into a wide grin, "I knew you'd come around," she murmured as she embraced Harry, burying her face into his chest.

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To be continued….


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